In a bid to ease the stress of shito lovers in Ghana, Miss Martha Opoku, an MPhil Agricultural Extension student at the University of Cape Coast, has developed shito powder.

She appeared as a special guest on 'Survival Series', a segment within the weekend Morning Show, on GBC Radio Central on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Highlighting her journey, she narrated that the idea for the shito powder came up when oil from an already prepared shito spilt onto her laptop while she was en route to school, destroying it.

Reeling from her loss, she had to come up with something different to ameliorate the situation. The shito powder idea came up, but she neglected it until, in their final year, it became incumbent on students to innovate any agribusiness idea; this was where she began to put her shito powder idea into action.

According to her, the main idea of the shito powder was to make the product more accessible, lighter, and easier to carry on a journey. Again, she adds that Ghanaians love shito, and this idea was to make it readily available for everyone to enjoy.

Touching on challenges along her journey, Miss Opoku narrated that getting the right composition of the mixtures was a herculean task. "Sometimes when the mixture was done, it either had too much pepper or less," she stated, stressing that with dedication and unwavering commitment, she got the composition right, culminating in the product she has today - 'Ahenkan Shito Powder' now on the Ghanaian market.

Shito powder comes in four brands: shrimp, herring, soybean, and mushroom types, with soybean and mushroom catering to vegetarians and vegans, and is FDA-approved and registered. "The soybean and mushroom brands are to cater to vegetarians and vegans. The products are FDA-approved and registered", affirmed Madam Martha.

Shito is a popular Ghanaian hot pepper sauce or condiment, often used as a condiment or dip, made with dried fish, shrimp, peppers, ginger, garlic, and spices, and is a staple in Ghanaian cuisine.

Also on the panel was Rejoice Agyeiwaa Mensah, an Agribusiness student of UCC at the School of Agriculture. She spoke on how they have packaged peanut cake, commonly known as 'Nkate cake', into what they call 'Peanut Brittle'. This is more handy, making it more appealing to customers. She emphasized that their brand of peanut cake is a healthy snack since it is sweetened with date syrup and not sugar. "Diabetics can patronize since it doesn't contain white sugar," she clarified.

The peanut cake comes in different flavours - ginger, oats, and cinnamon. It has come to stay and serves as an added snack available to the Ghanaian. Mr Evans and Miss Leticia as team members who came with them for the interview.

As most of the youth in Ghana grapple with unemployment, these students have demonstrated their talents, showcasing the ingenuity of Ghanaian youth. With a little support and a push from the government, these students can grow their businesses into thriving ones and employ others. As for what the future holds for these promising agribusiness talents, we can only hope for the better.